Budget

Budget Overview

The biennial budget process commences with the City Council adopting its priorities, goals, and strategies for the organization and the community at the beginning of the calendar year.

The priority based budget strategy ensures that the Council’s and community's priorities are the guiding principles for developing the biennial operating and capital improvement budgets. To achieve this, each operating department proposes enhancements, also known as decision packages, which are categorized as ongoing or one-time investments and evaluated to determine which would best meet the community’s needs within the city’s financial resources. The outcome is a recommended budget that reflects the City Council’s priorities and strives to enhance service levels for the Morgan Hill community.

The budget process is typically completed in May when the City Manager’s Recommended Biennial Budget is presented to Council and made available to the public. Budget deliberations begin shortly thereafter with a City Council Budget Workshop, Public Hearing, and ultimately adoption of the recommended biennial budget in June. In the fourth quarter of the first year, a mid-cycle budget review takes place and City Council is provided an update on revenue assumptions, fund balances, and possible amendments to the second year budget.